Argument
by Ferowyn
Summary: Hobbit Kink Meme Prompt: Fili and Kili never fight, well, almost. When there is something strong enough to provoke a serious fight between the two it always ends up a big and loud and terrible and everyone suffers. WARNING: Incest


_Prompt: Fili and Kili never fight, well, almost. When there is something strong enough to provoke a serious fight between the two it always ends up a big and loud and terrible and everyone suffers._

_The two brothers get into an argument during the quest and deal with it very maturely by completely ignoring each other. Everyone is completely awkward and not so surreptitiously trying everything to get them to make up with each other again._

_If the anon prefers, there could be eventual makeup sex. But I'd really love to see the awkward companions and grudge-holding Kili and Fili above all. :D_

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**Argument**

Fili is taking the clasps off of his beard and examines them, frowning. They are stained with an unidentifiable substance – maybe troll snot – and he knows, cleaning them will take some time. Bifur watches the blond dwarf and rises, offering the younger one two spare clasps he always has with him. Fili hesitates but accepts them with a thankful smile, not wanting to insult the other one and Thorin knows what is going to happen even before Kili sees his brother braid his beard and fix it with Bifur's clasps.

And sure enough Kili stops midsentence when he spots the clasps and his eyes go dark. Fili's shoulders drop. "Look, Kili, I'm sorry! Mine are stained and I did not want to offend Bifur when he offered me his, so please don't-" Kili does not even wait for him to finish his explanation; he simply turns around and walks away.

Thorin sighs heavily, the same time as Fili does. The blond dwarf looks torn but sets to follow his brother and the king knows exactly what his nephew is thinking. If he goes and tries to talk to his brother it is going end in a big fight and if he puts it off it will be even worse. As expected it does not take long before he can hear Kili shouting, his voice high and cracking, as always when he is really upset. Apparently Fili is trying to calm him down at first but only a few minutes later the older one is also yelling.

He shakes his head and tries to ignore the argument – which turns out to be quite difficult. He would love to intervene, to tell them how stupid this recurring fight is, but he knows it would not work. He has tried many times before.

Kili, who hates forging (and, frankly, is not very talented at it) has made these clasps for his brother, in proof of his deep and sincere feelings. And usually Fili is wearing them with pride, telling everybody who wants to know – or not – how much this gift means to him. Only very rarely, when the situation requires it, he exchanges them for a different set of clasps and whenever he does it leads to a huge fight.

Thorin remembers the time that Dis had asked her older son to wear the set his father had given him to said father's birthday celebration only too well. Or the time a young lass had been courting Fili, giving him the clasps that had been her late grandfather's. Decency had demanded that he wear them and he had taken them off the second the poor girl had left, but Kili still had started to yell.

Thorin knows, incredible as it sounds, that when it comes to Fili Kili has quite serious self-esteem issues. He has never understood how Kili can have so little trust in his brother, have so little trust in _himself_, how he can keep fearing Fili might find somebody else; somebody better. It is ridiculous (they are _dwarfs_ for Durin's sake! They only love once in their lives. Fili simply _cannot_ find somebody else) but no matter how often Fili tells him, Kili always starts to doubt him as soon has he takes off those clasps, Aulë only knows why. All the yelling is due to a very poor attempt of Kili to hide his self-doubts and Fili losing his patience.

The yelling is not the worst part, though – the silence that follows is.

Unfortunately the time span they spend sulking is getting longer with each time. Well, Thorin thinks, he might as well enjoy the attempts of the rest of the company (except Balin, who knows his nephews too well) to try and get them to make up. He will not intervene – it would be futile anyway.

oOo

They are walking in silence.

Thorin finds it really hard to believe this, but obviously nobody dares to say a word, afraid upset the brothers once again. They do not know that now that they have stopped yelling at each other (it had been about time, their fight having kept most of the company awake for the greater part of the night) they are not going to say a word for a rather long time. Well, Thorin is not planning to tell anybody, he is actually enjoying the awkward side-glances and the uncomfortable silence.

It takes the rest of the company most of the day to figure out that talking is not going to worsen the situation. At some point during dinner Bombur even dares to directly address Fili, asking whether he wants a second helping. The others are holding their breath until they see Fili nod and hand Bofur his bowl, keeping quiet. Kili reacts exactly the same way and only minutes later the company is talking and joking like usual, except for his nephews. Their faces are unusually grim and they are sitting on opposite sides of the fire, as much distance as possible between them.

Later they also lie down on different sides of the camp, not a single time looking at each other. The rest of the company exchange bewildered glances, not sure how to react to this fairly odd scene. The brothers seem not to notice, ignoring the general astonishment as much as they are ignoring each other.

Thorin cannot help but chuckle lowly. This is very amusing indeed.

oOo

Two days later the members of the company are no longer puzzled but rather annoyed. There is simply no way to make the two brothers acknowledge each other's presence, which does neither make the assignment of the tasks any easier nor does it lift the mood in any way. Since Fili and Kili are usually responsible for the cheery mood the company has already gotten used to everyone is irritated by his nephews' fight.

Thorin is still watching amusedly, along with Gandalf and Balin.

"You could tell them, you know? That nothing is going to help until Kili gives in."

"No, I want to see what they are going to do." Nobody ever said Thorin Oakenshield is not sadistic.

And it is amusing indeed.

Bombur threatens not to serve them any meals until they make up. It actually grants Thorin a laughing fit (of course it is a very royal laughing fit) for his nephews simply rise and leave the camp, soon each one of them returning with a rabbit they roast on spits, both lighting their own little fire in the progress.

Bofur, who can look like a sad, beaten puppy, spends hours bombing them with his sad face. Well, how is he supposed to know that the only eyes that can make Fili do anything (especially when tears are pooling in them) are Kili's?

Dori and Oin try their very best to somehow trick them into a task or conversation that leaves the brothers no choice but to converse. His nephews are slicker than fish, though, and always manage to escape somehow.

Ori, Bifur and Dwalin actually provoke a scenario that has Fili stumble (Dwalin is clearly enjoying tripping the blond dwarf up) and fall, preferably into Kili's arms. Unfortunately the younger brother simply steps out of the way and Fili ends up in the mud face first. In spite of the dirt covering his head his expression can only be described as murderous.

At that point Balin steps in before Gloin, Nori and Bilbo can have a go. He looks at the company (Fili has left, washing his head in a nearby pond, and Kili is hunting) with his solemn face – a rare sight indeed – and everybody is quiet. "Leave the boys alone, will you?" It is not a request.

Thorin would have stopped him, had he not seen the tiny glances Kili is stealing when nobody else is looking. The show will be over soon anyway, so he does not miss too much when he lets Balin stop the company.

oOo

It happens the next day after dinner.

Suddenly Kili is on the verge of tears and he jumps to his feet, runs into the woods. Sure enough Fili's face lightens up a tiny little bit when he also rises and follows his brother at a much slower pace. Seeing the worried expressions of the rest of the company Thorin chuckles. "I'll make sure they are okay", he promises and leaves the camp, looking for his nephews. It does not take him long to find them.

Kili is sitting on the floor, sobbing, and Fili has wrapped his arms around the trembling shoulders. "Shh. It's okay, I'm not mad at you."

Kili looks at him disbelievingly. "But you ignored me!"

Fili smiles. "So did you." He presses his lips against his brother's forehead. "Stop worrying. I'm really not mad at you, not any longer. I love you." Slowly the younger one's tears are drying up. "I'm really sorry I wore Bifur's clasps. I won't do it again."

"Promise?"

"Promise. I put my clasps back on the second I had them cleaned. See? They're good as new. No need to wear any other set." Fili always refers to them as '_his_ clasps', for they are the only set he truly thinks of as being his.

A tentative smile flashes over Kili's face. "You love me?"

"I love you"

And then, out of nowhere, the old, confident Kili is back. He turns around and grabs his brother's shirt, kisses him. Thorin, who has seen Fili's hand sneak underneath his brother's shirt, returns to the camp, smiling. "They are fine."


End file.
